﻿250 
  REPORT 
  UNITED 
  STATES 
  ENTOMOLOGICAL 
  COMMISSION. 
  

  

  swarms 
  several 
  hundred 
  miles 
  long 
  and 
  wide, 
  and 
  often 
  a 
  mile 
  or 
  more 
  thick. 
  They 
  

   have 
  been 
  seen 
  passing 
  at 
  a 
  great 
  height 
  over 
  the 
  highest 
  peaks 
  of 
  the 
  Rockies. 
  Al- 
  

   though 
  there 
  are 
  breeding 
  grounds 
  just 
  north 
  of 
  Salt 
  Lake 
  and 
  along 
  the 
  valley 
  of 
  

   Snake 
  River, 
  in 
  Idaho, 
  from 
  which 
  they 
  sally 
  west 
  and 
  southward, 
  no 
  instance 
  is 
  re- 
  

   corded 
  of 
  their 
  ever 
  reaching 
  the 
  Sierra 
  Nevada 
  range. 
  There 
  are 
  two 
  other 
  species 
  

   of 
  Caloptenus 
  that 
  are 
  also 
  migratory 
  and 
  terribly 
  destructive 
  at 
  times 
  ; 
  the 
  C. 
  atlanis 
  

   or 
  "lesser 
  locust," 
  and 
  C. 
  fenwr-rubrum, 
  the 
  " 
  red-legged 
  locust"; 
  and 
  these 
  species 
  

   being 
  of 
  wider 
  range 
  have, 
  perhaps, 
  ravaged 
  portions 
  of 
  California, 
  but 
  the 
  principal 
  

   damage 
  in 
  our 
  State 
  has 
  been 
  done 
  by 
  the 
  culprit 
  that 
  is 
  now 
  menacing 
  Sierra 
  Valley, 
  

   and 
  which 
  we 
  will 
  proceed 
  to 
  name 
  and 
  describe. 
  

  

  (EDIPODA 
  ATROX. 
  

  

  The 
  compound 
  Greek 
  word 
  (Edipoda 
  (accented 
  on 
  the 
  second 
  syllable 
  with 
  the 
  short 
  

   sound 
  of 
  i) 
  means 
  "swelled-leg," 
  and 
  refers 
  to 
  the 
  large 
  thigh 
  of 
  the 
  hind 
  or 
  leaping 
  

   legs. 
  The 
  specific 
  name 
  atrox 
  means 
  " 
  atrocious," 
  " 
  cruel," 
  " 
  destructive," 
  or 
  " 
  direful." 
  

   This 
  atrocious 
  locust 
  breeds 
  all 
  over 
  the 
  country 
  from 
  Florida 
  to 
  Alaska 
  annually, 
  but 
  

   does 
  not 
  often 
  become 
  so 
  numerous 
  as 
  to 
  be 
  destructive. 
  When 
  forced 
  to 
  migrate 
  for 
  

   food 
  they 
  form 
  vast 
  swarms, 
  reported 
  (perhaps 
  not 
  this 
  species) 
  as 
  "frying 
  about 
  200 
  

   feet 
  high 
  for 
  the 
  noon 
  hours 
  of 
  two 
  days 
  over 
  the 
  city 
  of 
  Sacramento 
  in 
  1855, 
  resem- 
  

   bling 
  a 
  snow 
  storm. 
  They 
  destroyed 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  crops 
  of 
  Sacramento 
  County." 
  In 
  1877 
  

   locusts 
  (the 
  (Edipoda 
  atrox) 
  ravaged 
  the 
  coast 
  from 
  Point 
  Concepcion 
  to 
  Santa 
  Barbara, 
  

   their 
  habits 
  and 
  mischief 
  closely 
  observed 
  by 
  the 
  distinguished 
  naturalist, 
  Elwood 
  

   Cooper, 
  of 
  Santa 
  Barbara, 
  who 
  recommends 
  deep 
  plowing 
  under 
  of 
  the 
  eggs. 
  He 
  has 
  

   completely 
  averted 
  the 
  scourge 
  by 
  that 
  means, 
  while 
  sowing 
  on 
  and 
  harvesting 
  crops 
  

   as 
  usual. 
  The 
  same 
  year 
  the 
  damage 
  in 
  Fresno 
  County 
  was 
  $20,000. 
  Great 
  damage 
  is 
  

   reported 
  in 
  Fresno 
  as 
  early 
  as 
  1856. 
  The 
  same 
  year 
  two 
  swarms 
  passed 
  over 
  the 
  

   Big 
  Trees 
  into 
  San 
  Joaquin 
  Valley, 
  doing 
  great 
  damage. 
  

  

  In 
  1859 
  locusts 
  devastated 
  the 
  valley 
  on 
  the 
  west 
  side 
  of 
  Pitt 
  and 
  Fall 
  Rivers 
  (North- 
  

   east 
  California) 
  ; 
  covered 
  the 
  ground 
  ; 
  annoying 
  to 
  travelers 
  and 
  stock 
  men. 
  

  

  In 
  1862 
  and 
  1863 
  at 
  Hornitos 
  they 
  came 
  in 
  June 
  and 
  July 
  "like 
  a 
  glistening 
  cloud; 
  

   ate 
  the 
  bark 
  off 
  of 
  peach 
  trees." 
  

  

  In 
  1866 
  and 
  1867 
  a 
  swarm 
  15 
  miles 
  wide 
  passed 
  over 
  Stockton 
  from 
  the 
  north, 
  "so 
  

   abundant 
  that 
  they 
  filled 
  'a 
  well." 
  

  

  In 
  1869 
  they 
  visited 
  Tulare 
  County 
  from 
  the 
  southwest 
  in 
  May 
  and 
  June 
  ; 
  staid 
  three 
  

   weeks, 
  eating 
  grain 
  and 
  grapes. 
  

  

  In 
  1873 
  they 
  migrated 
  to 
  Southern 
  California, 
  doing 
  great 
  damage. 
  The 
  last 
  rav- 
  

   ages, 
  in 
  1877, 
  have 
  been 
  stated. 
  

  

  The 
  species 
  doing 
  the 
  injury 
  in 
  the 
  cases 
  is 
  unknown, 
  for 
  want 
  of 
  care 
  in 
  preserving 
  

   specimens 
  and 
  in 
  descriptions 
  ; 
  most 
  probably 
  they 
  were 
  true 
  migratores, 
  as 
  atlanis 
  and 
  

   femur-rubrum. 
  The 
  locust 
  of 
  1877 
  was 
  the 
  (Edipoda 
  atrox. 
  which 
  of 
  late, 
  for 
  some 
  as 
  

   yet 
  mysterious 
  reason, 
  has 
  become 
  numerous 
  and 
  migratory 
  to 
  a 
  limited 
  extent. 
  

  

  As 
  stated 
  by 
  eye-witnesses, 
  ours 
  have 
  come 
  by 
  easy 
  stages 
  from 
  the 
  northward, 
  en- 
  

   tering 
  Sierra 
  Valley 
  from 
  Clover 
  and 
  Last 
  Chance 
  Valleys, 
  and 
  at 
  first 
  deposited 
  but 
  

   few 
  eggs. 
  The 
  eggs 
  are 
  about 
  the 
  size 
  of 
  small, 
  slightly 
  curved 
  rice 
  kernels 
  of 
  a 
  light 
  

   buff 
  color. 
  They 
  are 
  deposited 
  during 
  the 
  latter 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  season, 
  from 
  July 
  to 
  Sep- 
  

   tember, 
  in 
  sunny 
  exposures, 
  at 
  a 
  depth 
  of 
  half 
  an 
  inch 
  to 
  an 
  inch, 
  in 
  nests 
  or 
  pockets 
  

   of 
  about 
  28 
  eggs 
  each. 
  The 
  female 
  is 
  supposed 
  to 
  make 
  several 
  deposits 
  — 
  three 
  or 
  

   four 
  — 
  and 
  then 
  perishes. 
  Neither 
  male 
  nor 
  female 
  of 
  this 
  species 
  lives 
  through 
  the 
  

   winter. 
  The 
  earliest 
  laid 
  eggs 
  hatch 
  first, 
  about 
  May 
  10th. 
  Hatching 
  continues 
  all 
  

   the 
  forepart 
  of 
  summer. 
  The 
  insect, 
  while 
  yet 
  in 
  the 
  omnion 
  or 
  sheath, 
  wriggles 
  itself 
  

   to 
  the 
  surface 
  of 
  the 
  ground, 
  where 
  first 
  the 
  pelticle 
  gives 
  way 
  to 
  pressure 
  beneath 
  in 
  

   the 
  region 
  of 
  the 
  back 
  and 
  neck. 
  The 
  head 
  emerges, 
  then 
  the 
  antennae 
  and 
  limbs, 
  all 
  

   very 
  soft 
  and 
  white. 
  In 
  a 
  few 
  minutes 
  the 
  little 
  rogue, 
  now 
  black 
  and 
  shining, 
  with 
  

   stiff 
  legs 
  and 
  a 
  fierce 
  look, 
  hops 
  off 
  in 
  search 
  of 
  something 
  to 
  eat 
  — 
  and 
  trouble 
  begins. 
  

  

  